Automated plant control systems include a comprehensive set of algorithms and auxiliaries to control and monitor various processes within, for instance, a manufacturing facility. The control systems can be tailored to satisfy a wide range of process requirements globally or within specified portions of the facility. Conventionally, the control systems include a plurality of modules, each having its own hardware, firmware and software, linked together by a communication bus to provide a distributed process control system. The distributed nature of the system affords high performance with the capability to expand the system incrementally to satisfy growth or modifications in the manufacturing facility.
Manufacturing facilities may have two different generation distributed control system (DCS) platforms that cannot communicate directly, with the newer generation system allowing the manufacturing facility to migrate portions of their existing system or expand it to increase production. To integrate the two generations of systems and help provide the customers a single window view of both systems, “T-Nodes” are known. “T-nodes” include EXPERION server-total plant solution (ESVT), EXPERION station-TPS (ES-T) and Application Control Environment-TPS (ACE-T) nodes as a group of second generation control nodes that have local control network processor (LCNP) cards in them, such as for integrating a later (i.e., second) generation EXPERION process knowledge system (PKS) system and an earlier (i.e., first) generation TPS system, all provided by HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC. A local control network (LCN)-connected EXPERION console station (ES-C) provides a common operator interface for both the TPS system and a PKS system. Such an ES-C directly connects to the nodes in the TotalPlant Network (TPN) associated with the TPS system via a physical LCNP board, and connects to the nodes in the PKS system through an EXPERION Server. In the receipt direction, the T-nodes act as an interface to access the data/alarms from the TPS to reach client nodes in the PKS system.
A LCNP board and MAU is required for each T-Node. MAU stands for “Media Access Unit” and is a HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL hardware interface between the physical LCN coaxial A and B cables and the LCNP card via a serial interface connector. This significant hardware requirement leads to a substantial increase in system cost for setting up the various T-Nodes.